Well 2008 came and went. Did you achieve your goals for 2008? Did you lose the fat you needed to lose or gain the muscle mass and strength you had hoped for?
As for me, my goals for 2008 were to improve my functional strength and improve my overall conditioning and cardiopulmonary health. I have always been focused on strength and muscle mass, but I decided to focus more on conditioning and functional strength this year, and see where it took me. I started doing HIIT programs*, started working with various modalities that focused on conditioning and functional strength and improved strength to bodyweight ratios and such. As some of the groups I have been working with recently (e.g., SWAT teams, etc**) are much more concerned with the above over shear strength and muscle mass, I thought it was best for me to put some focus there as I didn’t want to be one of those “do as I say not as I do” type trainers and I am not getting any younger either!
On the Fat Loss Revealed (FLR) and Bodybuilding Revealed (BBR) forums we saw many pounds of unwanted fat lost and plenty of muscle and strength added, so 2008 seemed to be a productive year for the FLR and BBR members.
I hope you achieved your goals for 2008, and I wish you continued success in 2009. If you want (need?!) some assistance with those goals, there is no better program for permanent fat loss then FLR, and for truly science based info regarding supplements, training, and nutrition for gaining strength and muscle mass, BBR simply has no equal…I hope you all have a healthy and productive 2009 to all…See you in the gym!
* = As part of the Hybrid Training program I developed.
** = see videos section of the blog or my YouTube page for more info if interested.
Will Brink is the owner of the Brinkzone Blog. Will has over 30 years experience as a respected author, columnist and consultant, to the supplement, fitness, bodybuilding, and weight loss industry and has been extensively published. Will graduated from Harvard University with a concentration in the natural sciences, and is a consultant to major supplement, dairy, and pharmaceutical companies.
His often ground breaking articles can be found in publications such as Lets Live, Muscle Media 2000, MuscleMag International, The Life Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise For Men Only, Body International, Power, Oxygen, Penthouse, Women’s World and The Townsend Letter For Doctors.
He’s also been published in peer reviewed journals.
Will is the author of the popular e-books, both accompanied by private members forum access , Bodybuilding Revealed & Fat Loss Revealed.
You can also buy Will’s other books on Amazon, Apple iBook, and Barnes and Noble.
Great article Will. A great overview for somene trying to set new goals of ’09 . I did fwd the article to a friend. I agree “Diet” is a bad choice of words. It is truely a life style change. How we look at food and exercise. Also without taking into consideration the psychological end of any program I believe we are doomed to fail. A life stytle certainly is not about will power as you have metioned in other articles. keep up the great work!
Happy new Year
Marty
Marty, I hope your friend finds that article as useful as others have to see the “big picture” and makes those needed adjustments in his or her personal paradigm.
I didn’t achieve my goals exactly … I blasted through them and burned even more fat than I’d planned on!
As for the Holidays, “survival” makes it sound like they’re some deady bug or something, but I came out at the other end with another pound less than I was before.
And yet I keep hearing that “if I were to eat like you I couldn’t have a social life” … ?? Say what? I’ve had and been to weekend BBQs all summer of 2008, we’ve been to restaurants at least 3 times a month, sometimes even twice a week; I had 9 social obligations with foods in the 2-week Holiday period. So don’t come to me wth that lame excuse, it just doesn’t hold water!
New goals for 2009 – actually I made sure to have a 12-week program spanning from November through January, smart move – this time it’s the shedding of the last 5½ lbs of fat (for someone who used to have 46% BF 4 years ago and 32% BF 9 months ago …) and get more muscle deffinition. Well yes, I’ve wwritten them more precisely than that, obviously!
Sounds like your steady progress from 2008 will carry on in 2009. Good luck Sarah.